Freedmen's Record. 39
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FROM THE PAPERS Of* MISS EMILY HOWLANO PRESENTED APRIL 1834 THE FREEDMEN’S RECORD. V o l . IV. BOSTON, MARCH, 1868. No. 3. “ The Freedmen’s Record ” is the organ of All subscribers of five dollars to the the New-England Branch of the Freed Society, either directly or through Branch men’s Union Commission, lately New-England Societies, are entitled to vote. All other Freedmen’s Aid Society, and is published persons interested in the cause, are invited monthly by the Executive Committee. to be present. All communications for or relating to the “ Record” should be addressed to R. F. Wall- cut, 8 Studio Building, Boston ; and must be ac ANNUAL REPORT OF THE ASSISTANT COM companied by the name and address of the writer. MISSIONER OF THE BUREAU FOR NORTH Terms per annum, $1.00 in advance; single CAROLINA, FOR 1867. copies, 10 cents. Postage, 12 cents yearly, pay T his is, an interesting document, and full able upon delivery. of encouragement for the friends of the freedmen. He says: “ The experience in this State is a convincing proof of the ap preciation of the thousands recently ele ANNUAL MEETING. vated to the dignity of manhood, of what W e call the attention of subscribers and has now become their duty, not only to themselves, but to the community of which friends to the notice of the Annual Meet they compose such an important part.” ing. We hope to see a good number of He speaks of the poor crops, and espe them present with us. Branch Societies cially of the imprudence of the planters in should remember that they form a part of neglecting the culture of corn for that of the Society, and are entitled to take a part cotton. He speaks also of the vicious sys in its deliberations and votes. The Annual tem of apprenticeship, which we rejoice to Report will be presented, and remarks learn is entirely abolished. Since then, he made by friends of the cause who may be says, “ The officers have been engaged in present, and the officers for the ensuing cancelling indentures improperly made, and year will be elected. no trouble now exists.” He considers the ex There is still the most urgent need for periment of free labor an entire economi pressing forward the work. The condition cal success, even under the many discour of Maryland especially calls upon us for aging circumstances. There is still great renewed exertions, and we hope to be able need of provision for the insane, the blind, to do more for the brave workers there the orphans, and other unfortunate classes. than we have done this year. IN MEMORIAM.-ANNIE M. BULLARD. T he Annual Meeting of this Society, I t is with great sorrow that we record will be held on Thursday, March 5, 1868, the death of Miss Annie Maria Bullard, of at half-past three, p .m ., at the Old South Westboro, Mass., January 31, aged 24 Chapel, Freeman Place. years. S4 The Freedmen''s Record. “ Faithful found among the faithful.’ “ We shall again behold her, Clothed with celestial grace Annie Bullard was conspicuous, even And, beautiful, with all the soul’s expansion, among our band of Richmond teachers, for Shall we behold her face.” her devotion to the cause of the freedman, and the loving spirit with which she worked in her school. Her fellow-teachers loved LETTERS FROM TEACHERS, her very tenderly, and her scholars no less Annapolis, Mu ., Dec. 3. so, while her gentleness was more prevail My D ear Miss Cheney, — Our schools ing than force, and her school was conspic are quite full. We have had much bad weather uous for good order and quiet without ap the past month, and many have been obliged parent effort. to stay at home for want of shoes. To-day, the first school-day in February, I had forty-six Of a delicate organization, she undoubt present, only three of that number late. They edly suffered from the hardships to which are much more prompt than at first. Each she was exposed, and her life on earth pupil who is found in his seat at quarter to was shortened by her unremitting labor nine is entitled to an extra merit. We find this under unfavorable circumstances. But for rule works well. They do very well with re how many years will the memory of the gard to paying their ten cents per week. fair young teacher from “ de Norf” be Last week I asked them how many would try cherished among the poor people to whom and earn one cent extra, for fuel, as the wood she was an angel of intelligence and good and coal were fast being used up. Many of ness, and gray-haired sires will some day the wee black hands came up. I placed on tell the little children of her, and the bless my desk a small box, and to day I find that ing she conferred upon them. Shall we there is forty cents in it. One little girl came call her life shortened or enriched a thou up with a two-cent piece. I asked her where she got it ? “ Mamma gave it to me to buy a sand fold ? cake. “ Why did’nt you buy it ? ” “ I vrasfraid We add to our poor words the following I would be late, and lose my ticket. I don’t extract from a letter from her fellow want the cake now.” This month we have teacher, Miss Foster : —• asked the night pupils to pay fifty cents, in “ While writing this, a letter has just been stead of forty, as they have been doing. They handed me. On opening it, I find it to be have not as yet objected, though for some I from Mrs. Bullard of Westboro’, — saying that know it will come rather hard. They are still our “ Dear Annie is no more.” I did not feel in debt, and are trying hard to pay up. Gen that I could add to my letter those few words, eral Howard has helped them some this and no more. You must ere this have been month. The desks, stoves, &c., I think now informed of her death. I have, ever since I are all paid for, and they have nearly sub came here, written her once a week, her scriptions enough to pay off the debt on the mother now and then writing to me for Annie. land, upon which the school-building stands. She was, till the last, much interested in the The next task will be to collect the money. work which she so reluctantly gave up. She We have so far collected enough from our was one of the loveliest persons I have ever schools to pay teachers’ board and some other known, and well deserves the name given her incidental expenses. I think they do remark in our Richmond home, “ Our gentle Annie.” ably well here, better than in any place where And as the dear ones, who have finished the I have taught. work assigned them, and, as she, have done it Yours truly, faithfully, are, one after another, added to the Sarah E. F oster. Heavenly Chain which never shall be broken, each link taken from the Earthly, but makes the Heavenly one the stronger. And with Gordonsville, Ya., Feb., 3,1868. Longfellow, may we not say, — Mrs. E. D. Cheney. “ There is no death; what seems so is transition; D ear L ady, —My school is still increasing This life of mortal breath in numbers. I am pleased to see some of the Is but a suburb of the life Elysian, grown persons coming to improve their minds. Whose portals we call Death. With others, we have received ten grown The Freedmen’s Record. 35 scholars, fire of whom are men, in the day had been going to school ever since 1863, and school. I have fifty-five scholars. Four of them the negroes only two sessions, and even now are just learning their letters, as they have reading in the same book. Rev. Mr. Stock- just entered. Take the freedmen generally, well, after preaching for us last Sunday, and they are ap t; but I find it hard in some visited the school on Monday. In his sermon, cases to drill the letters into their heads; but he urged the freedmen to join the Temperance it is more apt to be the case with larger schol Society. Many of them joined then and form ars, as they wish to read before learning their ed a society. I hope we may be able to have letters well. It is a trouble that I have had no a large society here, as intemperance is one of little of, and to prevent one from teaching the the greatest fetters that enslaves thousands other, as they do this in a manner to cause of good and useful men. Many of the freed trouble. This is the way they perform the men here have purchased homes for them evil kindness. One boy who can read reads selves. I can number fifteen or more in this the other’s lesson over and over to him until small village, who will be able to raise a crop on he learns it so well that he can repeat it by their own land this year, saying nothing of heart, without knowing the letters the words those who already live on their own land in contain. He will then in some respects repeat the county.